JLA/Titans #1 of 3
by Devin Grayson and Phil Jimenez
DC, color, $2.95
rating: Keen
Another recommendation of my pal, Jeff Lang (a pretty keen writer himself), this is more interesting for its ambition than for anything else, although it shows enough promise that I plan on picking up the next issue. Grayson and Jimenez apparently have been infected by the spirit that possessed Busiek and Perez when they decided to write a story involving everyone who was ever an Avenger--only this time it's everyone who's ever been a Titan getting at least one panel. Sheesh. I'd say nobody's going to top that anytime soon, but I'm sure that as soon as I did DC would announce a mini-series featuring everyone who was ever in the Legion of Super-heroes.
Despite the somewhat "stunt" nature of the book, and the usual constraints imposed by trying to set up a three issue mini-series, Devin Grayson does a creditable job of shoe-horning in some actual characterization, at least on the Titans side of things. The JLA are treated as more of a known quantity, and her handling of them confirms for me that it's not just Morrison's style that has put me off the current JLA line-up; the Big Seven aside, is there anybody at all besides the creators who cares about characters like Huntress and, for Heaven's sake, Zauriel? Come one, if you're out there, 'fess up.
